L275 4WD front axle bevel case oil seal

[beluga3858]

So I'm in the middle or repairing the front axle of my 4WD L275. A bearing failed and made a big mess on one side, so I decided to replace bearings and seals on both sides. I have all the parts but can't figure out which way round the bevel case oil seal should be inserted - the existing ones were installed different on left and right!

This is the seal that goes on the bottom of the vertical shaft as it comes out the bevel case (and into the axle case). Part 17 in the attached picture. Should the seal side with the spring be up or down?

-Mike

 

[Daren Todd]

Spring side faces the oil

 

[Tooljunkie]

Spring side faces the oil

X2! I agree, make sure to lubricate lip on seal before assembling. I give them a little grease.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Spring side faces the oil

What do you do when there is oil on both sides?

 

[Daren Todd]

What do you do when there is oil on both sides?

Thats a loaded question Would depend on a couple of things.

Is there a single oil fill for both cavities? Seperate oil fills? Is there a port to allow oil to flow from one cavity to the other? And how many seals it calls for internally.

If it's a single oil fill, with only one lip seal internally, then the l internal lip seal would have the spring facing away from the oil fill. Just bear in mind that as the oil thinned it would allow oil to pass to the second cavity, and could potentially over fill the second cavity, unless the internal lip seal was slightly undersized for the shaft. Or if there was a port to allow oil to flow from one side to the other.

If it calls for two lip seals internally and has a port to allow oil to pass from one cavity to the other, then the lip seals would be installed back to back with the springs facing each cavity.

Two seperate oil fills, and the lip seals would be the same way as above. Each spring facing the closest oil cavity.

If there is what they call an environmental drain between the two cavitys, which is an open tunnel with a port that opens to the outside to relieve pressure between the lip seals, then there is a couple options. Both lip seals facing the oil cavities need to have the springs facing the oil. Provents wheeping. And a couple more seals can be installed internally in the tunnel with the springs facing the wheep hole to provent water from entering the oil cavities through the wheep hole in case of submersion. So in a sence your installing seals back to back on either side of the tunnel.


If your talking hydraulics then you need to chime in and educate the rest of us

 

[Tooljunkie]

Ok. I havent really thought much about this. I usually put em back the way i found them.
But Darren makes a lot of sense.
So on th 27 studebaker im working on, axle seals leak. Turns out someone cleaned the grease out between the felt seals. Allowing oil to run through the cavity. After discovering this, loaded with grease and all seems good.

 

[Daren Todd]

Ok. I havent really thought much about this. I usually put em back the way i found them.
But Darren makes a lot of sense.
So on th 27 studebaker im working on, axle seals leak. Turns out someone cleaned the grease out between the felt seals. Allowing oil to run through the cavity. After discovering this, loaded with grease and all seems good.

I try to train my new mechanics to double check the orientation of the seals. Thats half of my tear downs, and failures is from someone not putting seals in correctly at work. When your dealing with high pressure water pumps where the cheapest mechanical seal is 500$ and some as much as 1500$ and made of graphite, so they are very brittle. Any crack ruins the seal. Last thing you want to do is tear it back apart because a lip seal is in backwards.

Boss tends to get pretty cranky if you bust one of those seals

 

[beluga3858]

Spring side faces the oil

Thanks. So spring facing up for this one - makes sense to me

What about the axle seal? The one on the axle that is exposed to the outside (behind the wheel). That one as previously installed on both sides and as seen in other online pictures has the spring to the outside. Maybe this is more about not letting water/dirt in than stopping any oil leaking out since the oil level is below that seal anyway?

That leads to another question - In the axle case its impossible to add oil up to the axle or even the bearings, i'm guessing they get some splash lubrication? Should I pack the new bearings with grease before installing, and what type?

 

[Daren Todd]

I haven't had the pleasure yet of tearing into the front axles on a kubota. Gonna have to pretty soon on my dads l2250, after he gets the rest of the internal parts to replace a leaky wheel seal. I don't know the answer to those two questions till I can tear into dads.

North Idaho wolfman is the resident kubota expert. I would ask him about this.





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[Alexisferos]

I have change mine, look at this post.
The small l1501dt has the same setup.

The spring side of the seal is facing the oil..

And you may consider change bearings if they have play and the two metal rings

where the seal gasket sits, mine was leaking because this parts had rust over them.